This week, I was struck down by the lurgy. Not the normal run-of-the-mill sniffles, but the proper ‘I need to go to bed’ feeling type, which is unusual.
Although I did test negative for COVID, it did bring back memories… and not great ones… especially the brain fog.
My suspicion is being crammed in an aeroplane for a couple of hours with lots of other people did not help and from what I have been hearing, a lot of others seem to have had something similar too.
And, having been away a bit the last few weeks, the timing has been tricky.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I have two categories of things to do before I leave for a trip:
- things that must get done – items I don’t want to have on my plate when I am back
- things that can wait – on my to-do list for when I’m back in the office
Before the break, #1 is the problem… you run around like mad trying to tick things off, and get ready… and with thoughts of beach, late mornings, and all-you-can-eat lunches growing in anticipation of the vacation… the temptation to push some, if not most of them, into category #2 is huge.
But, of course, to do so just makes the challenge, when you do return, even greater… as on your return you again need to run around like mad trying to tick things off to catch up!
So having already a long to-do list, being unwell soon after your return is, let’s just say, not helpful…
It was, however, what it was, and by Thursday I was confined to bed… trying to get some rest.
In our ‘always on’ and ‘remote enabled’ world, especially if time working equates to revenue, switching off is hard. But as I needed to be better for next week, pure rest was prescribed. So the diary was cleared… a whole day just to rest and recuperate.
It started well, with a triumvirate line of mugs… lemon-ginger-honey, Lemsip, and tea. A solid start, yes, but now what?
By 11 a.m., I was bored… just so bored.
Work was not an option; I was not thinking straight; I was not tired so couldn’t sleep… and it dawned on me that being ill is just really really boring.
I think it may have been the only time I was grateful for TikTok; allowing me to waste an entire hour easily. Maybe this is what it should really be used for, although the dangers of Lemsip-related changes to your algorithm should not be underestimated.
It was just really hard to switch off.
Eventually, coaxed by some very mindless shows on Netflix… it was cake btw… I did manage to drift off.
In a smaller sense, this echoes the same battle we have with work-life balance.
We know we need to get some balance, but when faced with the reality of switching off it is hard, especially when you know full well that there are things that need to be done, piling up and waiting for you when you return.
The easy choice is to just keep going, especially in the short term… but by keeping going we don’t get the rest we need and our performance dips. Over the long term, we burn out and don’t get much better.
Yet, after a full day off, I definitely feel on the mend.
With the holiday season in full swing, my reflection this week is how it is important that we all take a proper break, look after ourselves and stay healthy.
So, have fun on the beach, be careful not to catch anything on the plane back, and most importantly, make sure you leave the laptop home.
Have a good weekend, everyone.
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